Ste. Genevieve Catholic Church

The tallest building in town houses the oldest Catholic parish in Missouri.

NPS Image

Quick Facts

Location:

49 DuBourg Place, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670

MANAGED BY:

Ste. Genevieve Catholic Parish

Amenities

3 listed

Benches/Seating, Parking - Auto, Wheelchair Accessible

The green steeple that rises over the town adorns the Ste. Genevieve Catholic Church home to the oldest Catholic congregation in the St. Louis Archdiocese. The congregation started in the old settlement in 1763 and moved as the community grew and relocated due to flooding. The first church buildings were built like the French houses out of vertical logs.  

In 1832 the congregation outgrew the vertical log church and decided to build a new larger limestone church. It took two years to build the new church and in 1834 the log church was torn down. The limestone church was used until 1880s when, once, again the community outgrew the building.  

The final church to be built was one of brick, which the town started building in 1870. Construction of the brick church paid for mostly by Odile Valle, wife of Felix Valle, took nearly a decade. Due to a lack of land the brick church was built on the same site as the limestone church. The limestone church stood within the wall of the brick church serving the community until construction finished. Once the brick church was completed the limestone church was removed from the interior of the brick building. The brick church is open daily to the public for services and visitors.